Pre-Soaking Your Seeds

Treating seeds by soaking in water seems to stir up the life
process of the dormant embryo within its shell. Like any living thing, a seed
require moisture, heat and oxygen. The moisture provided by you is absorbed
through the seed coat. This results in a swelling of the seed parts and a
quickening of vital activities. In other words, growth begins.

The main argument in favor of this pre-treatment is not only for a speedier
garden but also for more complete germination of all seeds planted. You can get
germination results in 3 to 4 days, while without pre-soaking it may take 2
weeks of unfavorable germinating conditions.

Example: onion seeds, after soaking them for 24 hours, We planted
them. We found the germination rate faster and the seedling stand more even and
thicker than with unsoaked seeds.

We have found that the easiest method for sowing seeds after soaking is to
put them in a plastic squeeze bottle along with some water. If you keep
swishing the solution in the bottle as you hold it in an upturned position, you
can get an even distribution of seeds. This, of course, is for fine seeds such
as parsley, onion, celery, asparagus, and carrots. The larger seeds such as
corn, beans and peas can be hand planted in the usual way after their water
bath.

Don't expect the miraculous of pre-soaking seeds. We have discovered that
you must consider the likes and dislikes of individual plants. It won't do you a
bit of good, for example, to presoak lettuce seeds and expect them to germinate
in a soil of 87·, as they prefer a cooler-temperature. So start your
pre-soaked seeds at the temperature and time you generally plant. Pre-soaking
just gives you faster performance under normal conditions.

Among the most difficult seeds to get to germinate are beet seeds. This is
because the beet seed, or kernel, is surrounded by a hard, tough shell It takes
a long time for a beet seed to get enough moisture from the soil, to swell and
open up.

Pre-soaking greatly helps this problem. We always soak beet seeds a full
24-hours before planting, then sow in the usual way. We try to have a moist,
soft seedbed, and cover the seeds with about a 2-inch of compost.

Carrots are much stronger sprouter, but we soak them too, to speed up the
sprouting process. Peas are generally strong on germination. Just the same, they
also have to absorb moisture from the soil. If peas are soaked over night, they
will take in as much moisture as they would be able to do

in a day or more from the ground. The advantages are obvious.

It is possible, of course, to overdo the soaking. Seeds should not be
soaked until they sprout in the water. The idea is to soak them until they
are materially softened. They should be left to sprout in the soil.

Seeds that have a tough, hard shell, whether flowers or vegetables, will
benefit most from soaking. However, We do not soak any seeds longer than 24
hours. We always get a complete stand of anything we plant.

You will find that small wet seeds do not sow as well as dry seeds. They
cling to your fingers, and tend to drop in gobs. This can easily be remedied by
laying the seed on a paper towel for a little while. The surface water will be
drawn off, but the shell of the seed will continue to remain soft and moist
until you have time to plant them. Another good method,, is to mix the wet seeds
with dry sand, planting sand and all.